Hmm.
Since my last post I have learnt that Harley Davidson (who bought out Buell), have decided to stop producing Buell bikes. It is a serious decision as it is costing them heaps to pay off a couple of hundred workers early...
Apparently with so much floor stock still unsold in Australia, they are still committed to ensuring spares will be available for Buells for quite a while into the future.

A lady friend stopped in for a ride in the high country with me the other day. No big deal I hear you say? I was impressed, ... because she rode down from up near Qld in one hit, doing a 13 hr riding-time day, with nine and a half of those in heavy rain, on a bike with only a small headlight cowl !
Arrived my place at 11.30 pm still totally sodden, and got back into wet gear (socks/boots etc), the next morning to ride on with me. She was happy that the sun was shining in my part of the world.
~> Respect!

Am unable to follow the link at the mo.
If this is the Buell 1125CR, then that is a bummer mate, as now that the aid-weekend has passed, I was turning my thoughts to a ride-climb weekend, and was going to renew this thread to see if there is sufficient interest out there to set a date and location.

(Hmm. I guess you renewed the thread and my post initiates the expressions of interest!)

NAh it's a mates garden bed :) brakes don't work that well haha. Was washing it in his garden and then decided to take the shots there while it was all wet and sexy. But please pass along the word to anyone whos keen for a good reliable and fun bike. Don't worry M9 that buell aint leaving my grasp for a while, i am actually doing a track day on it on the 9th of April at Broadford so i can really stretch it's legs.

On 5/05/2010 IdratherbeclimbingM9 wrote:>Don't take ODH's suggestion to park it elsewhere.>Take it for a ride instead to work off the woodie induced pump!>;-)

Yeah she's running a little rich at the moment.... Was cool down shifing and getting flames out the pipes.... until someone informed me that although it's looks cool it is quite dangerous..... So she needs a little love....

On 5/05/2010 IdratherbeclimbingM9 wrote:>Are there any motorcyclists out there who don't lanesplit from>time to time?

I remember riding up the eastern FWY not long after i had my license towards Smith st and I came accross 30-40 bikes taking up both lanes 2 or 3 bikes per row just crawling on....

I decided not to split as I thought it was wrong....

Then I noticed the two police on bikes going foward 4 cars in front of the 30 bikes...hehehehe

I have come accross the scenareo quite a number of times since... If you see bikes not lane spliting it's a sure thing the cops are either in the same lane up a bit or parked on the road up a bit.... ; )

I've been told by coppers it is illegle but they won't touch you as long as the cars are stationary.... They can pull ya for it but if you are going slow, the cars around you are stopped etc most of the time the'll leave you alone...

I got done once for it.... Except i was booked for passing on the left.... Cars banked up maybe 50 cars from the red lights, all completely stopped, i went base line and drive up on the left as there was plenty of room....The cop sad if i had of gone to the "on-comming" side of the cars he would have left me... go figure....

Single lane in each dirrection, I went base line, should have gone right side.... oh well $70 well spent....

I ride my bike (Suzuki GS 500E) in sydney traffic between 2 - 4 times a week to commute and EVERY time I ride I lane split ( I may add only in standing traffic ). When I am on my bike I may take 3 to 4 trips a day between meetings and stuff and regularly see police and have never been stopped.

If you do it slowly, and the cars are stopped the'll leave ya alone... I've done it besides police before (2 lanes over) and the've done nothing....

If you blast up the middle doing 80+kmph expect to get chase..... it's just a matter of time....

Wheelies are also a magnet for trouble... I've been caught a few times coming over the shoulder of a hill, police on-comming..... but in each case i've just been given the headshake / look of disappointment, combined with a solid point of the finger / shake......generally followed by a smile ; )

Most scooter riders are lunatics. They ride like absolute maniacs without any protective equipment other than a helmet. 60km/h onto ashphalt is going to hurt regardless of what you come off. A guy I saw the other day takes the absolute cake though. He was riding down a fairly major road with his coffee in hand - and then he took a sip while riding!

On 5/05/2010 Duncan wrote:
...> A guy I saw the other day>takes the absolute cake though. He was riding down a fairly major road>with his coffee in hand - and then he took a sip while riding!

Reminds me of the guy near Central in sydney who was caught by the cops riding at night without lights, no helmet and drunk.
I lane split all the time on the prince's highway in sydney, on my pushbike! Irritates drivers no end! (but obviously i'm aware that i'm going to be the one who comes off second best in any altercation). I often get into grunge matches with scooter riders. At least I watch for people when I split lanes or pull up to the front of traffic lights, they don't have any concept of safety at all!

I recently spotted a scooter guy with a plank of timber at least 1mtr long laying across his foot-board.

On a more serious note, does anyone have any recomendations for synthetic jackets? Needs to be properly waterproof and pretty warm. I have an RJays Evo jacket that seems to have an invisible pump that forces water through the shoulder seems. It's an absolute shocker.I can't believe that there is not a tape seamed jacket out there somewhere...

On 22/05/2010 Phil S wrote:>I recently spotted a scooter guy with a plank of timber at least 1mtr long>laying across his foot-board.

Not good if judging gaps is off, nor if not secured and it shifts.
I worry a bit when I have my wall gear (including portaledge), on the bike due weight and length issues. Portaledge is about 10cm wider than handlebar width (5cm each side isn't much, however I notice it!), but I secure everything well and bike still handles OK.

>On a more serious note, does anyone have any recomendations for synthetic>jackets? Needs to be properly waterproof and pretty warm. I have an RJays>Evo jacket that seems to have an invisible pump that forces water through>the shoulder seems. It's an absolute shocker.I can't believe that there>is not a tape seamed jacket out there somewhere...

I use a dririder (dualsport rallycross model) jacket. It is mostly mesh but with reasonable protection inserts inside ballistic nylon style material on wear points. It comes with a waterproof zip-in liner and also a quilted zip-in liner. I have riden in absolute shocker (your words!, that describe well), conditions, and have had no water ingress, so to that end I am happy with it.
Great for hot summer conditions.
Great for cold and wet winter conditions.
Has provided good protection in a couple of minor 'offs' (relatively low speed and offroad environment locations), that I have had.

The negatives I have with it are change of season time when it might be cold but dry, and I want the waterproof liner to cut the wind, though when I hit city slow speeds I sweat inside it due the fabric doesn't breath. The second negative is that the quilted liner won't zip straight into the outer mesh direct, ie it is sized smaller to only zip into the waterproof liner, which then zips directly into the mesh outer. I don't think it would cut the wind sufficiently if I just wore it underneath anyway.
It is a small but sometimes annoying point, as I don't enjoy smelling like roadkill if wearing good clobber underneath for a reasonable occasion and swimming in sweat build up. At those times, I have taken to wearing a lightweight goretex, or sometimes a lightweight leather jacket underneath instead.

I imagine the same limitations apply to other brand synthetic jackets as well?

One can upgrade the jacket to include a camelback style drink bladder as well, that fits in its own pre-sewn-in back pocket.
More recent models of the same jacket come with zip off arms, though why they bother I'll never know, as I'd not use that function if I had it.

Overall impression = very good value for money. Mine is five years old, used very regularly, has faded a bit in colour brightness due sunlight exposure, but I'd happily replace it with same again.

Picture courtesy of Wollemi, taken on a Buffalo Aid weekend. ... (thanks☺).

On 23/05/2010 Duncan wrote:>Most importantly, it colour co-ordinates with your bike. >
... comes in a variety of colours, ~> presumably to match different bikes.
~> but on that topic, one of my wag mates wanted to know if my undies were also colour co-ordinated!
... and in case you are wondering, ~> then keep wondering sunshine!
Heh X 3
☺

>In other news, I'm off my restricted license in about 3 weeks. Who'd>like to give me $20,000 to buy a Ducati Hypermotard and some new gear?

That period seemed to go quick (for me), so congratulations on achieving that milestone!
Good luck with the upgrade. ☺